How freight actually
works, door to door.
The question every interstate buyer asks and most suppliers dodge. Here is the honest version: what decides the cost, what decides the time, and what you are responsible for on the day.
The short answer
Freight for a flat pack kitchen is priced by cubic volume and distance, quoted to your exact postcode on the same document as the cabinetry — never a flat national rate, because a Sydney quote and a Perth quote are not the same freight job. Flat cartons cost a fraction of what assembled carcasses cost to move because they stack tightly on a pallet; that gap widens with distance, which is why we recommend flat pack for anything outside Queensland.
What actually decides the freight cost
Two things: how much space the kitchen takes on a truck, and how far it is travelling. A flat-packed kitchen nests into a fraction of the pallet space an assembled one needs, because assembled carcasses are mostly air once the doors are hung. That is the entire reason freight is cheaper flat than assembled, and the gap grows with every kilometre past Queensland.
Why we will not quote a flat national rate
Freight to Sydney, Perth and Darwin are three different jobs, and a single "from $X" figure would be true for none of them. Every quote states freight to your actual postcode as its own line, worked out from the cubic volume of your specific kitchen, so what you see is what the freight company actually charges rather than a number picked to look good on a page.
What arrives, and how it is packed
Cartons labelled to a numbered drawing, doors and drawer fronts wrapped separately, hardware bagged per cabinet, kickboards and fillers cut to length. Everything is checked against the drawing before it is packed, so what leaves Rockhampton matches what you signed off.
What you are responsible for on delivery day
Someone needs to be there to receive the freight and check the cartons against the drawing before the driver leaves — count them, and look for transit damage on the outer packaging. Freight claims are far easier to resolve on the day than a week later. If assembled cabinets are coming instead, have a dry, level space ready to stand them, because they take more room than cartons.
Timeframes, honestly
Production time and freight transit both depend on the kitchen and the destination, so a single figure here would be a guess dressed up as a fact. Your quote states both once the drawing is signed off — ask for it in writing if timing is driving a decision, such as a settlement date or a booked trade.
Flat pack and supply
More in this series: Flat pack versus assembled · How to order a flat pack kitchen · Assembling a flat pack kitchen · How long flat pack kitchens last · Are flat pack kitchens good quality? · Supplying your own kitchen · Getting a supplied kitchen installed · How to measure for a kitchen.
Frequently asked
Common questions
If your question is not here, call the studio. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
Ask us directly →How much does it cost to freight a flat pack kitchen interstate?
It depends on the cubic volume of your specific kitchen and the destination postcode, so it is quoted on your job rather than stated as a general figure. As a rule, flat packed costs a fraction of assembled to freight, and the saving grows with distance.
Is freight included in the kitchen price?
No. Freight is always its own line on the quote, worked out to your postcode, so you can see exactly what the cabinetry costs and what moving it costs.
How long does delivery take?
Production and freight transit both vary by kitchen and destination. Your quote states both once the drawing is signed off.
What happens if something arrives damaged?
Check the cartons against the drawing while the driver is still there and note any damage on the freight docket before they leave — that is what makes a claim straightforward. Tell us immediately either way.
Does flat pack really cost less to freight than assembled?
Yes, and it is not close. Cartons stack tightly on a pallet; assembled carcasses are mostly empty space once the doors are on, so they take several times the truck volume for the same kitchen.
Delivered assembled
The assembly is done
before it arrives.
Carcasses built square on a bench, Blum hardware fitted, doors hung and adjusted to even gaps. On site you are fixing finished cabinets to a wall, not building them on the floor. Our own team fits it in Central Queensland; your installer fits it anywhere else in Australia. Prefer to build it yourself? The same kitchen ships flat pack.
Stone on a compact run
Tall units arrive as built boxes
Appliance garage, hardware fitted before delivery
Flat pack, freighted honestly
One quote,
the freight already in it.
No from-price that changes at checkout. What you see is what the freight company actually charges to your postcode.